In general, in a production line at a factory, it is an object to achieve an increase in the efficiency of a task by eliminating problems such as the operation of a machine being difficult to understand, the meaning of notices being difficult to understand, having too much unnecessary information, lacking necessary information, and forcing unnecessary tasks on workers. This is because realizing an increase in task efficiency reduces the physical burden on workers, which results in suppressing the occurrence of faulty products.
Also, achievement of the above-described object is thought to be possible also through countermeasures taken by the workers themselves, such as voluntarily asking veteran workers about the operation method and thoroughly reading manuals. However, if only these countermeasures are taken, the achievement of the object will be insufficient. This is because it is often the case that problems that the workers themselves do not notice, such as near-misses, mistakes caused by misunderstanding, and problems first discovered upon use, are more likely and cause significant hindrances to the achievement of the object more often than problems that the workers themselves notice.
For this reason, in order to achieve the above-described object, it is important to eliminate problems that the workers themselves do not notice. Also, a task simulator executed on a computer is given as one method for eliminating such problems (e.g., see Non-Patent Document 1).
Specifically, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a task simulator. The task simulator disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 generates a production line in a virtual space using three-dimensional data of a product, two-dimensional layout data of the factory, and information on the assembly sequence and the like. Also, the task simulator disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 calculates various types of indices and displays them on a screen.
Examples of indices include an index indicating whether or not the worker can reach a part with his or her hand, an index indicating whether or not the worker can perform an assembly task in the reaching range of his or her hand, and an index indicating whether or not the necessary equipment and part shelves have been arranged.
Accordingly, with the task simulator disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, a manager can keep track of the actions of workers by checking the various indices, and therefore it is thought that the problems not noticed by the workers themselves can be eliminated.